Instagram launches Nametag and tests School Networks to seamlessly connect with friends

Instagram brings on updates to make it easier for users to quickly follow people they’ve met in real life. The personalized unique feature called ‘Instagram Nametag’ allows everyone on Instagram to create a personalized name tag that’s unique to them. This seems to be similar in function to Snapchat’s Snapcodes, which the app rolled out in 2015.

Instagram is continuing to up the ante on making social interactions as seamless as possible and so on Thursday 4 Oct. all of Instagram’s reported 1 billion users can bid adieu to the hassle and awkwardness of manually trying to add a new individual by his or her username.

Instagram’s nametags were first tested out earlier this spring. Unsurprisingly, the feature did well, and now Instagram is rolling out the update which allows you to follow other users simply by scanning a user-specific QR code globally to all iOS and Android users on Oct. 4.

To use the feature, you can go to your profile, hit the menu button on the top right, and select “Nametag” to display your own code. When you want to scan someone else’s code, you can do so by swiping right into the camera, focusing on the tag, and holding down on the screen. It seems the new feature will certainly make it easier to follow people as you meet them, without the need to recite often complicated or downright odd usernames.

Alongside the platform is also launching a feature called Instagram School Communities. This, as the name suggests, lets you connect with other people who presently is attending, or recently graduated from, your school. This is currently being tested in a handful of U.S. universities.

Once you have access to School Communities, you’ll be able to list your school, year, major sorority, and other interests. You’ll then see a directory listing of everyone who attended the same university, allowing you to connect with them through a shared experience.

The school community feature might not be available for all as it is on its testing phase in the U.S. but you can definitely go ahead and give the new Instagram Nametag feature a whirl on your Android or iOS device, as it’s available globally now.

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